Hiring is an integral part of any organization and to find suitable talent is a daunting task. You would need to know what you require from the prospect before conducting an interview.

So, in this article, we will talk about how to conduct an interview with a cybersecurity expert. What would be your main area of focus and how to approach both new and experienced candidates?

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3 Key Areas to Assess before Hiring a Cyber Security Expert

1. Needs and goals of your organization.

Every organization no matter how big or small will have different types of data and security clearance will vary based on the same. The integral part of the system would be its data end of the day, so you need to be cautious about how well the data has been protected against hacking.

The more clarity you have about the data you need to protect, the clearer you will be while hiring a professional who performs this task for you. This clarity is important for companies who focus only on data as their main source of income.

The higher the risk of data hack, the higher security needed to protect it.

Many people often think that a relatively small organization doesn’t need any kind of cybersecurity but they are wrong.

Every single organization needs it, so you would need to decide the level of security required and the suitable match can be found based on the same critical criteria.

You would need to know the difference between a threat, vulnerability, and risk. These are not just 3 simple words but are security issues with deep understanding in regards to cybersecurity.

If the risk is not identified, the attacker will pose a threat by exploiting that particular vulnerability. This also helps you understand the nature of cybersecurity required for your organization. You could hire a cybersecurity firm or employ an expert in this domain.

But without knowing what needs to be protected, you and the firm or the hired cybersecurity expert will be clueless on what to protect.

So, I’d like to remind you to assess the needs and short-term to long-term goals of your organization before you hire anyone for this purpose.

Read also: How to Easily Pass The CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam

2. Research and verify.

You always have multiple options to choose from, let alone be a talented cybersecurity expert or a cybersecurity firm.

Do your research well enough to consider the services the expert or the organization has to offer. Now that you know what you need; you need to find out about a talented expert or a firm that is capable of fulfilling your needs.

Don’t jump to conclusions too soon since it’s a highly important position in your organization. You need to verify the previous employment statistics or projects completed or the ones in progress; then validate the work done to make a fruitful decision for your organization.

Another way to research would be the analysis of last 3 years of the report to get a good trajectory of the providers or the expert.

Industry reports will also give you a larger picture in understanding any major and minor changes in the market including the financial performance of the cybersecurity expert or the firm you are looking to hire.

Does the firm you are willing to hire provide its services only in the country or is it global?

This will provide you a much better understanding. The revenue for cybersecurity has also been steadily increasing over the last 2 years and as far as predictions go, it’s far from reaching its saturation point. A regional break down will help you understand how it may affect the decision you are about to make.

In this particular graph, the slow but steady increase shows the performance of cybersecurity in the market. You need to be well aware of the market behavior before you set your foot in this domain.

3. Before you make the decision.

Now, you know what you need and it is the decision time. You have very fewer options to choose from after you have filtered most of the other non-viable options. Since you have identified few potential options, take your time to decide the perfect match for your needs.

You need subject matter experts and solution engineers experienced in this sector to handle any worst-case scenario and not just another sales guy. Double check with previous employment or projects handled by the firm or the cybersecurity expert to know the level of service you could expect.

I would recommend not to outsource this task to a consultant who will hire a cybersecurity expert; instead, do it yourself.

Doing so will give a better understanding of the position, roles, and responsibilities you need to provide as well.

Current and future market trends for cybersecurity show an increase in cyber activity exponentially. As per predictions from cybersecurity giants, the percentage of cyber security from 2016 to 2021 will increase from 10% to a 40% respectively.

Conclusion

The digital platform these days is limitless, which gives birth to both advantages and disadvantages from it.

You are well aware of the advantages since you enjoy it on a daily basis. The disadvantages would be the data being hacked. Your personal or company information on the Internet has the risk of getting hacked, and so we use various anti-hacking, antivirus software to prevent this.

However, you need to have a cybersecurity set up on your website and your organization to make yourself void of these threats. Hope this article will help you understand the need for a cybersecurity and how to hire one depending on your and the company’s needs.

There is no doubt that Cybersecurity is a booming market these and the need for it keeps on increasing day by day. So, go ahead and hire one for yourself and your company to keep it protected.